Principles of giving

A preacher went to visit a farmer and during the course of that visit asked him, “If you had $200 would you give $100 to the Lord?” “I would, preacher.” “If you had two cows, would you give one to the Lord?” “Yes, I believe I would.” “If you had two pigs, would you give […]

Why do you serve Christ?

May I ask a straight-forward question? Why do you do what you do for Christ? That is, what is the motive for your actions? What drives you and compels you? Specifically, when you think about how you serve God, can you also determine why you serve God? Some serve God from a sense of “holy […]

A sweet aroma

A writer for Leadership Journal recounted the following story: Deep-sea divers recently recovered a leather case containing 40 small vials of perfume oil from the wreck of the Titanic. The little bottles, which probably would have been sold in New York as the ingredients for cologne, belonged to a businessman from Manchester, England. When they […]

He will not change

That we live in different times than the generation(s) that preceded us seems self-evident. But the case of a certain John Fisher and Lizzie Clark, two strangers on a train near Atlantic City near the beginning of the 20th century reveals just how much change has taken place. This, according to the New York Times, […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/8/10)

A couple decades ago, Yogi Berra had opportunity to attend a White House dinner. After the event he was asked about the experience, and he replied: “It was hard to have a conversation, there were so many people talking.” Indeed. Yet he was right — for where there is an abundance of words, there is […]

Be on the alert

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13; NASB) It was a simple task. Two bushes. One set of hedge clippers. One hour. No problem. I dove into the job with vigor. I really do enjoy trimming bushes and trees — I enjoy seeing the speedy […]

Put off and put on

In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul explains one of the foundational principles for sanctification in the Christian life: the believer is to put off (take off, stop) any activity that speaks of the ungodly life of unbelievers and the old, unredeemed man, and he is to put on (begin and continue) the activities of that reflect the […]

Reading Chronicles

This morning we begin reading the book of 1 Chronicles. Often this book is pointed to as one of the more difficult to read because of its lengthy genealogies; moreover, many fail to see the relevance of both books of Chronicles. Even while reading these lengthy lists of names, we do well to remember that […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/13/10)

It is an unfortunate reality that it is possible to be regular in reading the Scriptures and being exposed to Biblical teaching and preaching and yet remain unchanged. The hymn writer said that we are “prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love?” Why is that so? A number of possibilities exist: We substitute […]

God, please don’t give me too much

The “fish story” is the poster-child for exaggeration. The longer the fish is dead, the bigger it grows. But fishermen are not the only ones who are prone to stretching the boundaries of a story. A 25-pound weight loss creeps up to 30, then 35 or more. Salaries often “grow” even when there haven’t been […]

Reading Colossians

All written from during his first Roman imprisonment, Paul’s four letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon all carry similar themes and messages. Each of them stresses in some manner the work of Christ and the unity of the church. Yet perhaps no two letters are more similar than Ephesians and Colossians; so reading Colossians […]

Reading Samuel

Samuel’s books are important for the nation of Israel for they provide not only the monarchy for the nation of Israel, but also include the Davidic Covenant (God’s promise that the Messiah would come from the line of David). Yet in the midst of these books there is much about the reality of sin and […]

Reading Philippians

In today’s Bible reading, we read the book of Philippians — a favored book of many because it is one of Paul’s most personal and intimate letters and strikes a strong note of encouragement to rejoice in Christ. Of note, joy is not only encouraged, but it is even something that is commanded — a […]

It left its first love

It was a church with an incredibly rich history. Founded by the apostle Paul along with Priscilla and Aquilla, it was first pastored by Timothy. And Jesus’ beloved disciple John was probably its “Pastor Emeritus.” It was the recipient of a letter from the apostle Paul that was rich in elegance and theology (and her […]

As a man thinks…

A quick trip to the local bookstore and even a superficial perusal of the food section will yield a plethora of books on dieting and eating designed to help the reader change his habits of consumption. The tenor of the books? “You are what you eat.” “Eat right to live right.” Or as is commonly […]